14.2.14

Standing Room Only

Kampfbahn Glückauf

Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V- they romanticised themselves as a band of self governing outsiders, at odds with the exclusive bourgeois nature of many German sports clubs. They were undeniably a working class club, the players and supporters sharing a background in heavy industry. German football was puritannical in its anti-professionalism, and in 1931 Schalke fell foul of the authorities over payments to players.They were suspended for 6 months. Any doubts about the importance of the club to the people of Gelsenkirchen were answered when the ban was lifted.Since 1928 the club had played at Kampfbahn Glückauf, a stadium designed to hold 34,000.When Schalke played their comeback match, a friendly against Fortuna Dusseldorf, an estimated 70,000 crowded into the ground.